Jay (second from left) is Co-Director of an upcoming documentary, Fire Through Dry Grass, that is centered on a group of people living at Coler Specialty Hospital on Roosevelt Island, a rehabilitation and nursing center in New York City.
These men formed the Reality Poets, and are part of OPEN DOORS, a network of artists, activists and advocates motivated by community building, gun violence prevention and disability rights, a collective of truth-telling artists bonded through a shared mission to spread a message of realness, resilience and healing.
Fire Through Dry Grass paints a human-scale portrait of the devastation inflicted upon American nursing home residents during the coronavirus pandemic, in particular people of color, immigrants, and formerly incarcerated people. The circumstances they are documenting show how toxic ideas that certain lives matter less, and are a threat, have penetrated long-term care.
Watch the Trailer
Learn more about Fire Through Dry Grass.